McCosker v. Fredericksen

308 P.2d 836, 149 Cal. App. 2d 489, 1957 Cal. App. LEXIS 2060
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 27, 1957
DocketCiv. No. 8971
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 308 P.2d 836 (McCosker v. Fredericksen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCosker v. Fredericksen, 308 P.2d 836, 149 Cal. App. 2d 489, 1957 Cal. App. LEXIS 2060 (Cal. Ct. App. 1957).

Opinion

PEEK, J.

This appeal arises out of an action originally instituted by James M. McCosker, Sr., and his wife against the defendants Fredericksen wherein specific performance was sought of a contract to sell certain real property in Lake County. The Fredericksens cross-complained and sought to quiet their title to the property. Additionally the Frederick-sens instituted a second proceeding against Stanley McCosker as administrator of the estate of James M. McCosker, Sr., and his wife by which the Fredericksens sought to eject and oust the McCoskers from the property. The McCoskers cross-complained and again asked for specific performance of the contract upon which they had relied in the previous action. The two cases were consolidated for trial, and at the conclusion thereof judgment was entered in favor of the Mc-Coskers, decreeing specific performance of the contract.

This is the third appeal which has been before this court in[491]*491volving the same parties and the same property. The controversy originally stems from a contract of purchase entered into in September of 1944 wherein James M. McCosker, Jr., and his wife agreed to buy, and Bert R. Hand and his wife agreed to sell for $16,000 the property involved herein. This agreement is referred to by all of the parties as the Hand contract. Under the terms of that contract the purchasers made a down payment of $6,000 and agreed to pay the balance of $10,000 on or before seven years from the date thereof, or September 5, 1951. Thereafter, on April 16, 1946, the Hands discounted the contract, assigned their interest thereunder to the Fredericksens for the sum of $8,000, and executed a deed of the property to the Fredericksens subject to their contract with the McCoskers, junior. Subsequently James M. McCosker, Sr., and his wife brought an action against the McCoskers, junior, which resulted in a judgment decreeing the McCoskers, senior, to own an undivided one-half interest in the property and awarding damages of more than $9,000 pursuant to an accounting concerning the profits taken by the McCoskers, junior. That judgment was affirmed by this court in 122 Cal.App.2d 498. An abstract of judgment in that case was recorded on August 28, 1951. On September 27, 1951, the McCoskers, senior, purchased at a sheriff’s sale all of the interest of the McCoskers, junior, in the Hand property.

On October 2, 1951, the Fredericksens instituted a quiet title action wherein the McCoskers, junior, and several fictitious persons were named as defendants, but only the McCoskers, junior, were served. The McCoskers, senior, made an abortive attempt by answer to become parties to that action by appearing therein as two of the fictitious persons named as defendants and set forth their claim to the property and alleged tender of the balance due. The Fredericksens demurred to said answer and later, at the time of trial, dismissed the action as to them. The McCoskers, junior, defaulted, and judgment was entered in favor of the Fredericksens.

It is that judgment upon which the Fredericksens primarily rely in this proceeding. In fact, at the time of trial, they introduced the record thereof and then rested, offering no other evidence. On October 11, 1951, the McCoskers, senior, by letter tendered to the Fredericksens the balance then due on the contract, plus costs, interest and attorneys’ fees. The McCoskers’ tender was refused, and shortly thereafter a second tender of $10,500 was made, but it was likewise rejected by the Fredericksens. Subsequently the McCoskers paid into [492]*492court the sum so tendered. No demand has ever been made upon the McCoskers, senior, by the Fredericksens, nor have the Fredericksens ever given the McCoskers, senior, any notice of forfeiture of their interest in the land.

In the meantime other actions were instituted by the Fredericksens; one an unlawful detainer action resulting in a judgment in favor of the McCoskers which this court affirmed on appeal (143 Cal.App.2d 114 [299 P.2d 908]); another in which the trial court issued an alias writ of possession now before this court and appearing at post, page 877 [308 P.2d 840]; and the third, a proceeding in prohibition which was heretofore denied by this court and by the Supreme Court.

It is the Fredericksens’ first contention that the judgment which they obtained quieting their title against the MeCoskers, junior, and terminating the latters’ interest in the property also terminated any interest the McCoskers, senior, may have had in the property. No appeal was taken in that action. However when the judgment in the unlawful detainer action was before this court, a like contention was made and we there held: “ The judgment terminated the contract as to the McCoskers, junior, but had no effect as to the interests of the McCoskers, senior, who were in possession under a recorded judgment showing that, notwithstanding they did not appear to have been named in the contract as purchasers, they were in fact parties thereto entitled to claim one-half interest accruing to the McCoskers, junior, by the execution of that contract and the part payment of the purchase money. This record of the judgment between the McCoskers, with the possession of the McCoskers, senior, under that judgment, gave notice to appellants that they were claiming title and the right to complete title under the Hand contract. Proper inquiry under such constructive notice would have revealed to appellants the proceeding in execution of the McCosker v. McCosker judgment, whereby the McCoskers, senior, purchased the remaining interest of the McCoskers, junior; and though they began their action just before the recordation of the certificate of sale, yet under the circumstances they were charged with knowledge of the interest of the McCoskers, senior, passing by the sale. When, therefore, they omitted the McCoskers, senior, in their action they brought against the McCoskers, junior, they did so, knowing that any judgment that they might obtain in such an action would not foreclose the rights of the McCoskers, senior, whom they had not only omitted to name as parties, but whom they had excluded from [493]*493participation in the litigation. Having thus achieved their exclusion, they cannot thereafter be heard to claim that the McCoskers, senior, were in anywise affected or their interest terminated by the judgment they thereafter procured.” (143 Cal.App.2d 117.) What we held in that case is equally applicable to the contention now made by the Frederieksens.

It is next contended that in the present case the McCoskers failed to plead or prove, and the court failed to find, any facts from which the fairness or reasonableness or adequacy of consideration as to the appellants could be ascertained. The record in this regard shows that the second amended complaint of the McCoskers alleged “that said contract, a copy of which is hereto attached and made a part hereof, is fair and reasonable, and is supported by an adequate consideration”; that the demurrer of the Frederieksens on the ground that said complaint did not state sufficient facts to constitute a cause of action, in that it failed to allege with particularity the fairness, reasonableness and adequacy of consideration was overruled by the court; that the answer of the Frederieksens denied generally the fairness, reasonableness and adequacy of the consideration and set up as an affirmative defense the judgment obtained by them in the quiet title action against the McCoskers, junior, as a bar to this proceeding.

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Related

Taliaferro v. Hays
188 Cal. App. 2d 235 (California Court of Appeal, 1961)
Fredericksen v. McCosker
308 P.2d 840 (California Court of Appeal, 1957)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
308 P.2d 836, 149 Cal. App. 2d 489, 1957 Cal. App. LEXIS 2060, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccosker-v-fredericksen-calctapp-1957.